Where I Belong
by thestrange-ladymalz
Summary: I knew what happened was bad, but I never knew this could happen. Leaving everyone I know for some stupid accident. I just can't wait until this is all over, to get out of this place, where I don't belong.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

There I laid, broken, sobbing, and empty. I felt split in half, the freezing, numb sensation crawling through my skin that made contact with the cold concrete. My long hair was sprawled out, the bloody curls pasted down flat. I could feel the warmth spread over my forehead. I was able to turn my head, meeting his horrible grinning face. Tears built up, and my mouth opened. So many times I tried to scream, but nothing except a small whimper came out.

He ran his finger around my face, and said something. But all I could hear was the ringing. Then he turned around holding up his hand, letting it glow. He was a mutant, a monster, and he… he…

…made me scream.

_Six Hours Earlier _

"Come on! They are going to be here any minute! Are you going to get out of the bathroom, Celeste?" my mom yelled at me.

"I'll be out in a minute," I told her, as I finished curling my last lock of my long dark brown hair. I flipped my hair back and ran my fingers through it, giving it body. I adjusted my blue tunic shirt and my black knee length skirt, finally grabbing my silver gladiator sandals, I flew out of the bathroom, meeting my mother. "See, out in a minute."

"It doesn't count if you had been saying that for an hour," She responded, flicking a piece of air over my shoulder. "You look nice."

"Well, it is Allie's last night here, we want to have a good night," I explained. She smiled.

"Okay, as a mother I have to asked. Where?" She started her interrogation.

"The club, and don't worry, it is minors night," I answered.

"Who is going to be there? Will parents be involved?"

"Allie, Claire, Dawson, Hanna, Mike, Lucy, Fran and Kyle. But Dawson's father is a bartender there, so he will be supervising."

"What time are you coming home?"

"No later than two."

Mom thought for a moment. "Make it one and we have a deal," She bartered.

"Fine one o'clock it is," I smiled. Dad raised his glass in agreement, but didn't say anything. he was too involved in the news that was on.

"Just be careful honey," my dad interjected. "There is a mutant prowler of the loose."

It was true, the news was all over it. The rather large city in which we lived in, Boston, was usually quiet, no mutant activity, ever. But now, this prowler had made the headlines. After a group mutant attacked one of the homes here in out neighbor hood this past winter, there had been more worry about it. My parents, being active Mutant Haters, were interested in this.

"Are you sure you will be warm enough?" Mom asked, looking at my skirt and sandals. "it is still only March."

"I got a jacket and we will be spending most of the night inside," I told her, "Oh, what time is it?" I asked her. She glanced at her watch.

"Just turning eight o'clock." She informed me. Just then, I heard a honk outside. I burst out, grabbing my jacket and my purse before I got outside. "Give Allie our goodbyes!" She yelled at me. Dad raised his glass in agreement. I smiled, and ran outside, skipping and jumping over the still slushy walkway and into Hanna's dark red car. Allie sat in the front seat, and Claire and Lucy were in the back.

"Hey Cel," Lucy smiled, pulling the string to my tunic shirt. "Love the top."

"Thanks, Lucy but tonight isn't about me," I told her. Allie twirled her blonde head around.

"That's right girly, tonight is about me!" She smiled. "Let's get going."

...

The Club was live and full, I could feel the bass all the way out in the parking lot. It was loud, you couldn't hear yourself think. There were a lot of people there, all of them part of the underage group that were able to gather here every Friday night. The entire building was an old gym, converted into an awesome club, the main room was where everything happened, but if you wanted, you could reserve a semi-private room so you could get a little bit of peace.

The room was right off the main hall, so you could faintly still hear the thumping of the beat. Everyone sat around the table, we just talked, about our past, what would happen in the future. Eventually, we all ended up on the dance floor.

The beat was fast, making all of the girls and boys dance wildly. I turned, danced with the beat, my feet ached, but adrenaline pumped through my veins. Allie dance next to me, and we laughed at each others inability to dance. She twirled, but she was about as graceful as a monkey.

"Hey, I am going to get something to drink, I'll be back," Allie yelled over the music, then disappeared in the crowd. Then I found myself alone, even in the midst of the large, dancing crowd. Pushing my fear down, I just continued dancing. No one mind if I started just dancing with them, and their group, they just wanted to dance.

The lights blotted out the real world, and I felt fantastic.

"You dance pretty well," A voice whispered in my ear. I stopped dancing, and game face to face with a gorgeous boy, his blue eyes gazing into my gray ones, his blond hair settled slightly on the side. Several things went through my head, thousands rushing through at once, but I quickly recovered, and went into flirt mode.

"You look pretty well, too," I smiled brightly, fluttering my lashes. He smiled and laughed. His teeth were very white. I felt giddy.

"My names Kevin," he introduced.

"Celeste," I returned. "Now, stop talking, and dance with me." On cue, the music slowed down, but the beat remained strong. Kevin wrapped his hands softly around my waist, and I touched his neck, everything felt right. We rotated and I caught a glimpse of Claire and Allie, who were smiling at me, pointing and jumping.

…

I felt bad, because I spent most of my time dancing with Kevin, although Allie and Claire, even Lucy, who had a steady boyfriend, found dance partners. The boys, Dawson, Mike and Kyle, sat at the bar, probably jealous of our ability to find perfect dancers.

There was no clock around, but I could tell it was getting to the time that my mother wanted me home. I broke my embrace with Kevin, who looked at me strangely, even with a bit of anger.

"I need to go, this was fun," I confessed. His eyes shot through me, but softened. I turned, but he caught my wrist.

"Wait," He started, pulling me to him again. "Let's go."

"Go where?" I asked, something inside went up, a warning flag.

"Outside, away from noise," He pleaded. I looked over at my friends, who were laughing. I guess they could go a few minutes without me. Kevin led me through the crowd and we exited through one of the back doors. The night air was chilly, colder than usual. Kevin brought me behind the building, and I felt something odd.

"Kevin, we shouldn't be here, I mean I think that-" I got cut off, Kevin grabbed my head, and kissed me, hard, his tongue everywhere.

"STOP!" I pushed him away. "What the-" I got cut off again.

Truthfully, I couldn't even remember what happened next. My vision went dark, but I felt pain, everywhere. At first it was just his hands everywhere, digging into my skin. I could no longer feel the fabric of my tunic shirt, or my skirt. I tried to scream, hut his hand forced my jaw closed and covered my mouth, muffling any cry I could muster. Then, I felt like I was being split in two, pain shot through my body like needles coming in from every angle. I felt my throat fall, I couldn't even scream, not until I felt like I was split apart.

He was done, and I was on the ground. It was a while, but he just stood next to me, like a predator guarding his fallen prey. I could tell, but it was defiantly past the time I was supposed to be home, but I wondered if anyone was trying to find me.

He just smiled, and took something out of his pocket, a pack of cigarettes. He lit one, with his finger, holding a blue flame. My eyes went wide, and stung with tears. I tried to scream, but me voice was lost, I couldn't do anything, except shiver and cry

"What," He laughed. "Surprised? Yeah, I am the mutant, so what," He smiled at me. My arms ached, everything hurt, but I wrapped my tattered tunic shirt around me tightly, hoping to get warmer. He just smoked, and then when he was done, stepped on the lit bud. He turned to me, bent down and smiled. "This was fun; we'll have to do it again sometime."

Then, he just walked away. I writhed, I felt like I couldn't breath.

"No…" I barely spoke, it was more like a exhale that a word. "…no."

Unable to move, time was irrelevant. Nothing I did worked. I couldn't feel anything, I was void.

Suddenly, I could hear sirens, and Kevin, if that was even his real name, jumped in his place, and took off running.

"That's him," Some one shouted frantically. For a moment I thought I recognized the voice, but wasn't sure. The ringing in my ears sharpened, so it was barely heard. I saw a few men, probably police men, saw him, and ran after him, tackling him down and cuffing him.

"Celeste!" I heard shouts from around me. In the stream of light from their flashlights, I saw Allie, Dawson, and Lucy. Even from the distance, I could hear the panic in Allie's voice; I could imagine Lucy's bright blue eyes stained with tears. I was hidden, not sure if they could find me, and I panicked. What if they could find me, behind some garbage Kevin had dragged me behind? Although it hurt to move, I opened my jaw, tasting blood in my mouth.

"Allie," I whispered, "Allie!" I tried to scream, but it came out wrong. I had to do something, their calls became distant.

"ALLIE!" I finally let out, feeling the searing pain in my chest and throat. Their chatter stopped and I writhed over, throwing my hand out, hoping they would see it.

"Lucy, Allie! Over here," Dawson yelled, tumbling and throwing the trash out of the way so they could see me. "Oh my god, Cel!" He let out.

I wasn't sure if it was real, but I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I could see Dawson hovering over me, not sure what to do. I watched as Allie and Lucy ran to me, scared and bawling. I noticed the police men and the ambulance guy come over to me and examine me, his face full of worry. Then, they carefully loaded my body onto the gurney and to the ambulance.

"Cel, hang on okay, we are going to the hospital," Allie said through her tears. Dawson sat at my side, holding on to my hand, his head hanging down. Lucy was on her phone, talking to my parents.

I wasn't sure if it was the pain or the exhaustion, but I blacked out, and thankful for the temporary moment of peace.

**Authors note: I wanted to start something a little different, and I think it will be. Thanks for reading, and please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The color white is supposed to symbolize purity, cleanliness, and safety. Hospitals are white, supposedly to soothe patients. I find that stupid.

The color white is boring, and if you wake up, not knowing what on earth happened, the color white can scare you. And that is what happened to me.

I woke up, my eyes adjusting from the blackness of unconsciousness to the pure white of a hospital ceiling. That scared me. My breath went rapid, I thrashed around, got up and looked at my hands; they were bruised and swollen. I wasn't sure what happened.

"Cel, you're awake," A voice said softly. I turned my head, a bit too much, because then a shooting pain went through my neck. "Hey, don't move."

Dawson came up to me, and touched my face. "You made us really scared Celeste, you just disappeared," He told me, sitting down on the chair next to my bed. I got a chance to look around my room. It was a private room, just plain, no TV or anything. It was an intensive care room. I remember what they look like from the hospital drama shows I used to watch.

I tried to speak, but once again, my voice was lost. I tried to sound out a word, but it just came out as breath. Dawson looked at me, wondering, waiting for me to speak.

"Oh, here," He turned around quickly and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the table. "The doctors said you might not be able to talk, because of the... trauma, so they gave you this," He handed them to me, and I began writing.

_Where are my parents? _I asked him, writing in my calligraphy-like script.

He scratched the back of his head. "They are out in the waiting room, they said they didn't want to come in unless you were awake, they… are really scared," Dawson told me. I nodded, and felt my face, my fingers running over rough skin. My eyes went wide…

"What happened to my face?" I actually spoke, but my voice was a bit raspy, and was more like a whisper. Dawson looked at me and smiled.

"You have a few scabs on the side of your face, and that's it. It could have been worse, and you still look beautiful," He touched my chin slightly. I smiled, and his eyes looked at me softly.

"Celeste?" My mother called from outside my room. Dawson looked over and called my mom in. Both of my parents came in, my father as emotionless as a stone, and my mother, who had been crying ever since she learned what had happened. "Oh no, honey," My mom came rushing at me, wrapping her arms around me. I winced, because of the bruises, but I hugged her back. My dad just stood at the doorway, his face unreadable. Dawson looked at me, smiled, and left.

My mom took my shoulders lightly, almost afraid t touch me, afraid to shatter what was left of me. "Honey, please tell me your okay," She hoped. I nodded.

"Yeah, I am okay, just…" I trailed off, one reason is because I didn't know what to say, the other was that my throat hurt, really bad.

"We are just happy that you are here, and not…gone," Mom's eyes got watery with tears. "The doctor said that you should be able to go home after the tests are done, and that you only need to do one or two sessions of therapy. It could have been a lot worse."

I nodded, and she took my hand, kissed it, and set it back down very gently. "We got to go, they are going to do some more tests, but I will see you by lunch, and if you want, I can bring you Indian food, I know you love that," She told me. I hugged her, as tight as I could, because I knew she hated Indian food.

After she got up and left, the doctor came in, his name was Dr. Franz. He explained to me what the test was about, how they just needed to do a simple physical, and since they had caught 'Kevin', that was the extent of it.

I glanced at the clock, and it was six thirty in the morning, and the sun was just coming up. It was close to five hours ago when it all happened, and it seemed just so surreal, like a nightmare, or a horror movie.

...

My first therapy appointment was tomorrow, and I just wanted to sleep. I was exhausted, but each time I tried to sleep, it was impossible, I just saw him.

The news was all over my attack, there were pictures of the scene, the club had been shut down for a while, the doctor, Dawson's father, and several other people were interviewed. I could turn on the TV with out hearing something about what happened.

The clock in the kitchen rung as it struck the seven. The sun was down, and the news had just started, and of course, the opening headline was the mutant attack.

Grabbing the remote, I turned the TV off as fast as I could. I rubbed my head, brushing my hair out of my face with my fingers and securing it with my headband. Mom had to go to work, she was a swimming coach at the university, and Dad was out on business. I was alone, and it freaked me out worse than I thought.

The cartons of Indian food sat on the coffee table, with all of the cards and other crap the few people gave to me, those who found out what happened. The news probably released my name, because as soon as the Five O'clock News finished, lots of cards came to my door.

The house was silent, the food was cold, and I was alone. Well, except for Kirk, our tabby kitten, who was curled in a ball at the end of the couch.

The door rung, and I got up slowly, my baby blue mesh boy shorts brushing against my knees. I hoped it wasn't another reporter, or another person come to give their comfort.

I looked through the peephole in out door, and smiled when I saw who it was. I opened the door and looked right into Dawson's eyes.

"Hey, Cel," He smiled. I blushed, but it didn't show underneath the yellow bruising on my cheekbones. Normally I would be very angry if anyone showed up, I was embarrassed of my appearance, a disheveled victim look didn't fit my style. Dawson was the exception. I really didn't care if he came around.

"Hey, come on in," I gestured, opening up the door wider. Dawson came in, a plastic bag in tow.

"I brought you some ice cream," he pointed to the bag. "Mint Chocolate chip, I know that is your favorite. Also, I thought you could use some company, so I canceled my plans for tonight, and am free to entertain you," He bowed. I smiled, tears pushing against my eye lids. He was so sweet.

I went up, and hugged him, he gently drew his arms around me, almost not even touching me. "Thank you," I told him.

_You're welcome, _Something whispered in my head. I quickly looked up at him. The voice was soft and feminine, not like him at all.

"Something wrong?" He asked me, concerned. I shook my head .

"No, lets just watch a movie," I nodded it off. The voice in my head was gone, but it scared me a bit.

We ended up watching the really old Pink Panther movies, and I laughed so hard, my stomach ached. It was late, I ended up falling half asleep on the couch. Dawson brought me up to my room, and said he would stay in the house, down in the kitchen, until one of my parents came home.

I didn't dream that night. It seemed like a second of sleep before I woke up to the sun beaming through my window. The yellow curtains were drawn back, letting in more light than I wanted. It felt like any other day. I got up and smiled, it was Sunday, and a beautiful day at that.


	3. Chapter 3

I pulled at my braid, nervous. The psychologists office was extremely ugly, the colors of gold and sea foam green, matched with the hideous fabrics of the couches in the waiting room. It looked like the 1970's vomited all over the room.

Two days, only two days since the night at the club, but everything seemed distant now. Granted, the events were crystal clear in my mind, it was no doubt that they would stay there forever, but with everything that had happened in-between, it seemed like so long ago.

I hated the fact that Allie's family decided to stay in Boston for a few days until, Allie's mom said, I got 'better', whatever that meant.

"Celeste Collins?" A short fat woman poked her head through. I nodded and got up. She led me through the door, and I took a last look at my father, who probably didn't notice I was leaving; he was too engrossed in his new paper.

This next room was too small, basically a desk and a phone, that was it. It must have been her office, poor lady, I thought. To be so fat and having to sit in a tiny office all day. She motioned to the other door right next to me, and told me to go in. Her voice was all high and squeaky, probably a side effect of all her fat suffocating her vocal cords.

I stopped for a moment. I just realized how nasty I sounded in my heads. It really wasn't me to be this mean to anyone.

I brushed off all of the negative thoughts of the fat woman and entered the door. It was a complete change of scenery. It was amazing. The doctor's office was a nice, calming cotton blue, made me feel warm in my tummy, as stupid as that sounded, it was true.

Dr. Frost, her name was, sat in her small chair across the room. When I entered, she looked up. I could see some similarities in her face that reminded me of the fat receptionist, except for the fact that she was beautiful. Like the fat woman, she had a long nose, and prominent cheekbones. She was slender, wearing a white coat and matching pants, and white heels. Her frosty blonde hair was light and pulled back gently.

"You must be Celeste, pleasure to meet you," She got up from her chair and held out her hand. Her eyes dug into me, they were a light, almost crystalline blue, with a sparks of silver.

I wished that my eyes were like that, they were just a plain grey. No spark.

"Come, let's talk," she smiled sweetly. Her voice had a slight accent to it, I thought it was kind of pretty. She led me to the long couch, motioning me to sit. She grabbed her notebook before sitting in the chair in front of me. Then, she started with the classic question.

"How are you doing?" She asked. Pencil in hand, ready to take down anything and everything I said, it should have made my nervous, but she was oddly calming.

"Fine," I responded simply.

"It has been two days, you don't feel... strange, bad about what happened?" She asked me, jotting down notes on her paper without even looking down.

"No, I don't really understand why people get so worked up about being raped, it was my fault, I led him on..." I explained to her. I wasn't sure why, but my voice was strained as I talked.

"So you blame yourself for what happened?" She returned. I didn't say anything, and I didn't need to, it was more of a statement coming from her mouth rather than a question.

"The boy who raped you, tell me about him," She continued. Her voice became a bit more demanding, more interrogating, while still keeping her cool. I raised an eye brow as she said one more thing. "Why don't you tell me about that night. What was going on?"

"It was my friend Allie's going away party, we went to the Club, it was minors night, and Dawson's dad worked there," I started.

"This Dawson, who is he?"

"A friend," I replied quickly, then returned to explaining the story. "We were dancing, and I met Kevin, if that is his name. He was cute, and I was dancing with him all night. We talked for a while, but nothing real serious, nothing that gave me away as a person, just what we liked, disliked, so on."

"Then, after the dancing, what did he do next?"

"He led me out of the club," I took in a deep breath. "He got a bit angry when I told him I was leaving, because it was about that time I guess. He led me out, saying he wanted to show me something. And then, it happened, he ripped me apart like a tissue. I was helpless... that's it." I ended abruptly. She looked at me sympathetically, and I noticed that a tear had escaped from my eye and was running down my cheek.

I wiped it away quickly. I don't know why I was crying, this didn't bother me. It was a complicated thing, and everyone looked at me like I was a victim, a helpless, torn apart person and they treated me like it too.

"Well, it looks like you time is up," Dr. Frost told me, still with a smile on her face. "If you don't mind I would like to talk to you and your Father, he was the one who brought you here, right?" she asked. Getting up and opening the door.

"Doris, can you call in Celeste's father?" She asked the fat woman, then closed the door. After a minute, my dad came in, confused. He was never the most active father. She motioned for him to sit down next to me. He looked in my direction, raised his brow, then sat down. Dr. Frost continued.

"I would very much like to continue our sessions here, I feel that there are a lot more you daughter and I could discuss," She said, directly looking at my father.

I scoffed, she had to be kidding. More sessions? The doctors at the hospital said I only needed one session.

"I know," Dr. Frost interrupted my thinking, as if responding to my thoughts. "that the hospital only recommended one, but they always have five or so sessions payed in advanced, in case of something like this, I would like to fill in those sessions, and if you want, we will end on the fifth session."

My father leaned forward, resting one hand on his knees. "So you are saying, that if we do sent Celeste to these sessions, I don't have to pay a cent?" He asked.

"Dad!?" I nearly shouted, though my voice was pretty loud. Of course he didn't care about my well being right now, this was free therapy in his mind. I mean, I love my dad and everything, but sometimes things like this cloud his mind.

The next thing I knew, my dad had set up five more sessions, each a week apart. My mom wasn't too happy about it though, I guess she wasn't thinking her daughter was so much of a lunatic that she needed more therapy.

We finally left the office, and I felt nauseated as we passed through the sickening waiting room. All I wanted to do was go home, and eat about a gallon of ice cream. In fact, we still have a bit of the ice cream that Dawson brought over last night.

...

After Celeste and her father left, Emma Frost left no time wasted. She knew she had felt something odd about that girl when she first came in, and now she had almost confirmed it.

Her cousin, Doris, had gone to lunch now, leaving Emma all alone in her office, which was fine, now was the perfect time, and Emma had a lot of things to do. She picked up her phone and rapidly dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time. She wasn't exactly sure how he would react to her calling him, but it was urgent. She had found someone he was looking for.

"Hello, Charles, how is the Institute?" She greeted.

**AN: Hey everybody, hows it going? Thanks for reading, and please review! I really want to know what you think of this story, of Celeste, and all of it. **


	4. Chapter 4

After my odd therapy session, my dad took me to get some ice cream, or well, to be more specific, I stayed in the car while he went in and got the ice cream. I still wasn't really ready to be seen out in public.

I pulled down the visor in front of me and looked at my face. My skin was a bit bruised, yellowish on my cheekbones and down the left side of my face. My hair, which has long strands around my face to my jaw line, covered most of that. But what I really hated was my eyes. They used to be shiny; they used to be a shimmery silver, now they were a dull grey.

I snapped out of my daze when I heard a laughing from outside of the car. I turned at looked to see Diana Stepper, not really my favorite person to be around, in fact, she was a total witch. It wasn't that I was super popular, but I was your normal girl. I had my clique of friends, the guys who were crazy about me, and I was rather popular at school. Just one of those girls, you know?

I slumped in my seat, praying that she wouldn't see me.

"Here you go Cel, Chocolate Mint," My dad said, juggled the two ice cream dishes and opening the car at the same time. This small ice cream parlor, Jimmies, was my favorite place to go. Here the Chocolate Mint Ice Cream was actual chocolate ice cream with shredded mint leaves on top. While I wasn't picky about ice cream as long as it had chocolate and mint in it somewhere, I adored this stuff.

"So," My dad started. We just sat in the Jimmies parking lot; I practically inhaled my ice cream, my dad just picked at his Peanut Butter Brickle. "About school tomorrow..."

I finished another bite of my treat and sighed. "What about school tomorrow?"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Dad told me. He took out a small pamphlet, something entitled 'How to Deal with Rape' or something cheesy like that, that we got from the hospital. "It says that sometimes..."

"Enough with the pamphlet!" I ripped the paper out of his hands. "I am not some helpless victim here."

He smiled, and I continued. "I can go tomorrow, it doesn't matter."

"As long as you are okay with it. I just don't want you to overwhelm yourself," He told me in that fatherly voice that made it impossible for any daughter to be angry with her father.

"Yeah, I know," I nodded. "I'll be fine." I looked at him sincerely.

Dad smiled and leaned over, kissing my forehead. "That's my strong girl," He whispered. I smiled, and touched my face, feeling my scabs.

"I need a new stick of concealer," I told him. Dad started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"You have a lot to cover. We'll go to Sam's Club, maybe they have a twelve pack," He smirked at me, insulting me in that loving family way.

"Thanks Dad."

...

Monday morning was dull and rainy. As if Mondays weren't already bad enough, the weather had to be crappy too.

I fixed my hair in a ponytail, securing my hair high on my head and watching the tail fall just below my shoulder blades. My long bangs covered my scabs and some bruises, but a lot were still visible. Also, it turned out my dad was right. Sam's Club did have a twelve pack of concealer.

When picking what I would wear, I thought carefully. A short sleeved purple blouse that had a fitted waist, that fit me well. It drew attention to my waist instead of my face. Slightly baggy black jeans, those worked well, because my legs were sore and a bit bruised, they fit my nicely too. Then, black boots with a flat heel, for comfort.

I fixed a small silver chain around my neck, something fun, and it also drew attention away from my face. I had doubts of going to school today. It had only been three days, and even though I felt fine, maybe I should just take advantage of free sick days I had. But I knew that I had to face them all sooner or later. I wasn't about to break into a million pieces in front of everybody.

"Cel?" A voice came from behind my door. My mom came in with a smile. "You okay, are you sure you want to go to school?"

I nodded and grabbed my jacket. "Yeah, I can do this, totally." I put on the best smile I could.

"Okay, I guess if you are fine... but if you want to come home, Dad can be there in seconds, okay?" She laid her hand on my shoulder and kissed my head. "By the way, you look great."

I went down the stairs, grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter, and looked around out kitchen. It was full of baskets, casseroles and such from the loving family members and neighbors.

I quickly finished my apple and threw it away as someone knocked on the door. I got up and answered it, seeing Dawson outside my house.

"You seem to be coming by a lot," I smiled at him.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I just thought you might want a ride to school, you know, if you want to..." He pointed to his red pickup truck that was parked on the road. I smiled.

"Sure, one sec," I said. I grabbed my backpack and wrapped a scarf around me neck. Mom came down and said goodbye, and Dawson and I drove to school in his old pickup.

I suddenly wished I hadn't decided to go to school. I felt like I was shaking, and I probably was, because I could see Dawson giggling.

"Nervous much?" He asked as he stopped at a red light.

"Just a bit, can you tell?" I bit my lip and adjusted my scarf.

"Just a bit. But you don't need to worry, every one at school was worried, and they will all be nice," He assured me.

"But that isn't what I want. I don't want to be treated like a victim," I responded.

"Hate to break it to you Cel, but you are a victim. It is strange, because usually the opposite happens in situations like this, well not that I know, but I have watched a lot of Law and Order: SVU. I know you want to be strong, but it isn't healthy for you to just push this all away. You need to accept the fact that you are a victim," He told it to me straight. I just took in what he said all the way to Silverman High School.

"I know that you are trying to help, but Dawson, that is not what I need, I want to be strong about this, and I don't want any special treatment," He raised his brow as I said this, but smiled in a way that he always did, and nodded.

"I can do that, but don't expect it from everyone else."

...

What Dawson said was true, and I hated it. As soon as I walked into school I got fifteen hugs, twelve consoling looks and eight gifts, cards and candies. Teachers gave me special treatment and the students paid more attention to me than ever before.

I found it sickening. Not because I didn't appreciate it, but because a lot of it was fake affection. People who never talked to me before hugged me because their parents told them too. Teachers felt sorry for me because of 'what I went through'. And worse of all, no one left me alone, as if that if I were allowed to be alone, I would fling myself off if the roof, or something like that. Everything was fake; all of it, and that bugged me.

Then, for at least a month after, it was the same thing every day. Everyday it was the fake and unreal sympathy.

Dawson drove me to school every morning. Teachers allowed me to do whatever I wanted. To anyone else it seemed like a dream. But it hurt me more than the physical pains and bruises, which had gone down and were almost invisible now, to know that these people pitied me for what happened.

**AN: I know I rushed through the whole school day, but I didn't really feel I could elaborate with out dragging on and on and repeating myself more than I already did. **

**I know this isn't getting many reviews, but please review. It is my first time doing something like this, story in this form, and I really want to know what you think.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I lost this chapter about a month ago, and I hate, absolutely HATE, rewriting chapters. They don't seem to flow as well. Anyway, please tell me if this chapter is good, if not, I will rewrite it again. Please tell me!**

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into the end of April. It was just the time of year that the snow was melting, and some how the grass is green under the brown glush of melting snow. Buds started to grown on trees, and I got a chance to throw my winter jacket into the basement.

Then with the coming of spring came my _last_ therapy session with Dr. Frost. And it was about time. Ever since I started seeing her, I hear voices. Not a lot, just a few. I think therapy makes people crazy.

And I thought it was strange that she always wore white, and that every time I left, she made a phone call to a guy named Charles before I was even passed the fat receptionist on the way out. She seemed a bit too eager to make those calls.

But what mattered was that after this, I would never see her ever again. It felt good to have something to look forward too.

We sat on the couches, in the same spot we had sat every session. She tapped her clip board, which she wrote on, even when we weren't talking.

"I do have to say Celeste, I have really enjoyed our sessions together," Dr. Frost started out, her fingers playing on the clipboard. I watched her eyes dig deep into mine. It was a bit scary, like she was peering into my soul.

_Same here_, A voice rang in my head. That stupid, soft voice that has been in my head for a month, I hated it. It was like having another person in my head.

"Yeah, it's been great," I forced a fake smile. It seemed to work, because she smiled back at me.

And that was the end of it all. I was free, no more sessions. As soon as I left the room, there she was, reaching and dialing furiously on her phone, I hadn't even left the building. But It didn't bother me, I never had to come back here.

…

Emma hung up, angry that the Professor didn't answer his mobile phone, he better be on his way. Did he know how important her discovery was? She heard the door shut, Celeste was out of the building. Emma got up and walked to Doris, who was just working at her desk.

"Doris, make sure that Charles is on his way," She told her. Doris nodded and started dialing. Emma Frost was not one who wanted to wait. Charles had to come tonight.

…

As soon as I got home, my mother told me about Dawson's call, they wanted to surprise me with a 'Congratulations on Finishing Therapy' Party. Everyone was going to Tony's, a great local pizza place where they make the crust all garlicy and really good, and it was half a block down from Jimmies.

Everyone was there, Allie, Dawson, Lucy, and Hannah. Dawson had organized the entire thing for me, which was really sweet of him. He was spending a lot of time with me lately, which I was glad. Allie had gone to where she was now living, but came down every weekend, Lucy was being distant, but I felt like that was just because she was still scared at what happened. But today was different, everything seemed back to normal.

Lucy raised her glass, smiling and giggling. "I propose a toast!" She smiled very wide, showing her white teeth. I raised my glass, giggling too.

"What are you toasting to, Lucy?" Hannah smirked, raising her glass with her delicate arm.

"I am toasting to the return of Celeste, who once was lost, but now was found, once was blind but now she can see, who once was...umm... what ever comes next in that song!" She swayed her head back and forth. Kyle got up and took her glass away from her.

"And that is enough sugar for Lucy," he sighed playfully. He took his glass and said. "To Celeste!"

"To Celeste!" The rest shouted in unison. We all clinked glasses and took a sip. It was true, Lucy couldn't take sugar well, and she got a bit odd when she had too much. For my first night out since the club, this was great, and so sweet of Dawson. I know he had been getting come crap from his girlfriend, Penny, for spending so much time with me. Nobody really liked Penny, and so she wasn't invited. He just had seemed so eager to blow her off to spend time with me.

I was having fun, everyone was perfect. The music playing on Tony's speakers was perfect, a nice upbeat tune. I felt great. Until, that is, an overwhelming sense of nausea swam over me. I was sitting on the edge of the booth. Everyone was laughing at something that Hannah said. I couldn't hear them, my ears popped.

I clasped my hand over my mouth and darted out of the booth. Dawson called after me, and Allie got out of her seat and followed me. I dove into the bathroom, and retched, thankfully reaching my intended destination. And I immediately felt better, for a second, because I retched again right after Allie got into the bathroom too.

"Cel!? Are you okay," Allie put her hand on my shoulder. There is was again, a pitying look played in her eyes.

"I'm fine," I waved it off, but I felt really nauseous. "Maybe it was too much tonight," I confessed.

Allie helped me up, and I leaned on her for support. I clutched my stomach. We got out of the bathroom, everyone, except for Dawson, was still in the booth. Lucy, seeing Allie and I, got up, holding her keys.

"I think I should head home, I got some stuff I need to do," I told everyone apologetically.

"I'll drive you," Dawson offered, but Lucy stopped him.

"It's okay, Allie and I have to turn in early anyway, and Cel's house is one the way to ours. Your house is in the other direction," Lucy explained. I straightened up, and touched Dawson's arm.

"Thanks, I had a really great time," I told him, smiling slightly. He nodded.

"I'm glad," He responded. His phone rang, and it was his ringtone he set for Penny. He hestitantly looked at it and answered. Then he cringed at whatever Penny was saying.

I felt bad for him, Penny wasn't the best girlfriend ever, she was real jealous that Dawson was spending more time with me than her.

Lucy and Allie drove me home, Lucy seemed to be extra careful when driving. When I got home, There was a car in the driveway, a sleek black one. My dad drove a nice dark blue car, and my mom rode the bus, so we must have company. But I didn't know anyone who drove that car.

I heard shouting, and cringed. My mother never yelled. I ran up the stone path and pushed the door open.

The first thing I saw was my mother, the vein in her neck as large as I had ever seen it. My father was just sitting at the table, saying nothing. There were two other people in our house too. A bald man in a wheelchair and a darker skinned woman with white and black hair.

"How dare you!" My mom shouted. I strode up to her quickly.

"Mom what is going on?" I panicked. She looked at me, her eyes crazy.

"Celeste, go up to your room," She swung her arm and pointed to the stairs.

"No," I protested. "Tell me what is going on," I demanded, holding my mother back. .

I turned to the balding man. "My names is Charles Xavier," he introduced. My eyes went a little wide at the name, it was the same Charles that Dr. Frost was talking to after my sessions. My mom stepped back. holding her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She did that when she was stressed.

Charles Xavier continued. "We have been monitoring you for a month or two, and have reason to believe that you may have special abilities... One in particular that is very important and my colleagues," He explained.

I stopped breathing. Special abilities?

The woman stepped forward. "We run a school where children like you are allowed to live and express themselves freely and well as learn to control their gifts."

My mother shoved me aside gently and took a deep breath in an attempt to control herself. But it failed.

"You cannot come into our house and tell me my daughter is a filthy mutant, not ever. She is not rotten like you!" She spat at him.

"Belinda!" My dad scolded her. A surprised look came across her face, and her mouth dropped.

"Collin, i will not stant..." She started, but my dad held up his hand, silencing her.

"Explain this to me Mr. Xavier," He started. "If my daughter has this particularly important ability, wouldn't she know already, and told us?"

Charles Xavier nodded. "That may be so, yes."

The my dad turned to me. I looked in his eyes, and he just saw me as a baby girl, and he hoped that it wasn't true. "Celeste? Do you have any reason to believe that what they saw about you is true?"

Me, being a mutant? Well, beside the voices, which I am sure was just a side effect from the crazy therapy. "No, I do not," I explained quickly.

"Well," My mom crossed her arms and moved very fluidly into an upright position. "There you have it. My daughter is not a mutant, now you can leave. NOW!" She roared.

I noticed a look of disbelief in Charles Xavier's face, and i looked down, closing my eyes until I heard the door shut. My parents glued their eyes to me as i walked up the stairs and to my room.

Was that why Dr. Frost wanted to keep me in therapy for longer? Did she suspect that I was a mutant.

I changed quickly into soft cotton pajamas, ones with small clouds all over them, and crept into bed. It was only seven, but the five minutes of arguing about my status on the evolutionary chain wore me out. My stomach ached, and I could hear a faint crying. I wasn't sure if it was my mother, who had stomped to her room and slammed the door, or something else that was in my head.

...

The hotel room was large, but felt small with all the people standing in it. Charles Xavier sat behind his desk, rubbing his temples.

"What went wrong, Professor?" Ororo Munroe asked him. "Were you sure that the presence was her?"

"Positive. There was a strong telepathic connection with in that household. It wasn't the parents, but someone else," he explained.

"What does this mean? They only have one child," Ororo told them.

"Maybe," Logan stepped out of his corner. "That frosty witch lied to us, again."

"No, Logan, that isn't it. Emma was telling the truth. But there is something that we are missing here. Something we can't see completely," The Professor wondered. Suddenly he looked up, a stroke of brilliance ran across his face. He knew what he missed. "We have to go back, right now."

...

It was barely eight, and I still couldn't get to bed. This mutant thing bugged me more than I wanted it too. I got up, put on my slippers and walked down the stairs. My mom and dad were watching TV, and i started peeling an orange.

I dropped the orange as a strong hand knocked on the door, loudly. My dad got up and as soon as he opened the door, the Professor from before came in, along with the woman from before and a larger, scruffy looking man, he scared me a bit.

My mother was furious. "What the hell? I told you to go, don't come back!" She seethed.

The professor was quick with his explanation. "I know, but I thought you would like to know something important. I did believe that you daughter was a mutant, yes, but I was wrong. It isn't her. It's the baby."

Her mouth dropped, and my mom cupped her hand around her stomach. But Charles Xavier shook his head.

"Not your baby," He turned his gaze to me, and I stopped breathing again. The ringing in my ears increased, and I felt light headed.

Charles Xavier spoke in my direction. "Her baby."

**AN: Soooo?????? What do you think, finally plot is emerging. I don't know how cliché this is, but I don't care, I have a good story line coming. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This chapter contains the sensitive issue of abortion. Please, do not take this in any way negative, for it is only mentioned. **

I slumped against the glass of the phone booth, My shoulders shook, no, my entire body shook. The rain was like bullets against the sides of the booth. There I was, completely alone. A brown paper bag was crushed in my hand, and a part of it was ripped, where a pointed corner of a box was revealed.

Everything was true. The three pregnancy tests confirmed it. My belly was even beginning to swell. I... I just couldn't believe it.

I had stormed out of the house, I am pretty sure the big guy made a grab for me, but the professor had stopped him. I wish he would of kept me there, though. Being at home is a crazy mother, a silent father and three freaks enclosed in a small house was better than being all alone, with nothing and no one, in a cold phone booth. I didn't know if I would take it. I didn't even know what was going on. My baby, my baby was...is...a mutant.

That explains the voices.

My butt was wet from the floor and the only thing i had on was cotton pajamas. The bottom of my pants were completely soaked and muddy. It was cold, colder than normal, frost was forming on the windows. Frost in April, it was stupid... I tried to stand up, but my legs failed on me, and I fell. My knees stung in pain and my hands clenched as they touched the cold ground. I forced myself up and inserted a few coins that i found in the pocket of my pajamas. I had enough for one call.

"Mom?" I asked as soon as the call picked up.

"Celeste? Where the hell are you?" She sounded harsh.

"In a phone booth. I... Mom... I- I took three test, they are all positive," I could barely speak. All I could gather from her screaming was a few curse words. "What should I do, Mom?" I was completely and utterly confused, I really didn't know. i needed something, someone to guide me.

"Get rid of it!" She seethed in response. I stopped breathing, I didn't expect that.

"What do you mean, 'get rid of it'? What are you saying? Mom?"

I heard a sharp breath on her end. "Cel, I am saying that you cannot bring that monstrosity into the world. This is not natural! You listen to me, missy-" I hung up, my entire arm shook.

_'Get rid of it! You cannot bring that monstrosity into the world! This is not natural!' _Her voice rung through my head louder than the twelve o'clock bells that sounded every Saturday. I hit my head on the phone box and hung the phone back on the receiver. Get rid of it? With the way my mom had said it, I guess she didn't mean adoption. She meant... aborting it.

I couldn't do that. I... I just... something like that never crossed my mind. I had a hard enough time dissecting a dead frog in Biology, could I really kill this baby?

_Please don't, I don't want to die. _

I jumped, there is was, the soft voice again. Was that the baby? My fingers grazed my belly button, where the slightest swelling was showing. It was barely noticeable. But it was there. The baby was there, and it was talking to me. I burst out of the phone booth and walked briskly down the street. The icy rain didn't bother me, neither did the stinging winds. I kept walking, I knew where I was going. There was the soft glow of the hospital lit my path. I walked a bit more before and up the driveway, quickening my last few steps until I found myself at the door. I laid my head on the glass before knocking softly. Not barely ten seconds before the door opened and Penny came storming out of Dawson's house. She looked at me, her chubby, freckled face fumed.

"And here is the girl of the hour!" She screamed at me. I took a step back and my foot, which was covered in a lace less shoe, sunk in the mud. Dawson's figure stood in the doorway with the light behind him, making the front of him obscured and shadowed.

"Penny, get back inside, its raining really bad- Cel?" He turned to me, the side of his face lit up by the light, his shown eye was curved with concern. "What are you doing here?"

Penny scoffed. "Obviously here for you!" She turned to me. "What the hell is your problem? Just because you were to stupid to prevent your horrible 'accident' you think that you can get whatever you wanted?"

"w-whhat?" I exhaled heavily. My face was burning despite the harsh cold of the night. Her red hair was not completely wet and clung to her face. She ignored me and began to yell at Dawson.

"You can forget about me, go ahead and take your ruined witch. We are through!" With that, she gave me a dirty look, and stormed off. Dawson walked outside and put his arms around me, leading me inside. The light was blinding at first, but I adjusted.

Dawson's house was amazing. It smelled of cinnamon every day, the walls were a light brown and the carpet was so soft. I kicked off my shoes before entering into his living room where he set me down softly onto the couch. He left and quickly returned with a plush towel. "Talk to me, what happened with Penny?" I asked him.

"When we got home, she was angry at me for not inviting her to your party." He started. His light blue eyes were not sad, they looked... relieved! "I told her that you don't like her, and since it was your party... you know. Anyway, I told her that I needed to check up on you since you were sick. She said that I never called her when she was sick. She babbled on for hours, and she asked me who I cared about more, her, or you. I said you."

This was the first time I got a real good look at him. His skin was darker than mine, just by a shade. His hair was a mucky dark brown that reminded me of a forest, and his eyes were a sky blue, or a powder blue, I couldn't really tell, but they were so beautiful.

"Your turn. Why are you at my house, soaking wet, in nothing but pajamas at nine at night?" He asked me, gently brushing a piece of wet hair out of my eyes.

"The guy who raped me was a mutant and impregnated me with a mutant baby who is wanted by a group of mutants who want to train it and my mom wants me to 'get rid of it'." I said quietly, but quickly. He exhaled sharply.

"You win," he wrapped his arms around me, tightly, but not to tight. He was so warm, felt so alive in comparision to my body, which just felt like dead weight.

We sat there for a moment, before my body convulsed and shook. My head shrunk into my shoulders and I cried. Dawson smoothed out my hair and he touched his lips to me forehead. He stayed with me until my sobs turned into light breaths. "Dawson, what should I do?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't know, I have no experience when it comes to something like this. It's all up to you."

I stood up, abrupty breaking our embrace. "But what am I going to do? Dawson, this is another life we are talking about, my mom hates it because of the baby daddy and my dad hasn't said a single word about it! I am totally lost and all you can say is 'its up to me'? What the hell is that for advice?"

His bottom lip quivered like it always did when he felt lost and hurt. I immediately regretted my words. So I just sat back down and buried my head into his shoulder. "I just feel so dead right now. I hear voices and I can't tell which is mine."

He bit his lip "You know for sure it's a mutant?"

I nodded.

He continued. "Would you consider doing what your mom said if it wasn't a mutant?"

"Absolutely not," I told him. "I would either keep it or give it to someone who actually wants it."

Dawson smiled, and I got it. I knew what I was going to do.

...

Dawson drove me home, where I was 'greeted' by the exact same people who I left, the three mutants and my parents. Dawson was not at my side, but I still felt strong.

"I am not killing this baby," I said blankly. Mom was silently furious, her face was turning a shade of purple. I turned to Professor Xavier and took a really deep breath. "This is what is happening. You guys want the baby, and my mom doesn't. For her sake, I'll make sure no one knows I had this baby. I will leave and go to your school until this baby is out, then you can have it, and I can return to my life."

That was my plan and everyone agreed. Dad just got up and left, walked into the garage and shut the door. Mom was arguing with me, and finally gave up, ran crying to her bedroom. The professor assured me that I would be completely safe in his school and that I would have everything I needed and let me know that after it all, my wishes would be granted. I would have nothing to do with this baby.

That was that.

**AN: How was that? Sorry for the wait, almost a year, but this was hard for me to write, must have rewrote it at least seven times. Enjoy and please review. Not all chapters will be as emotional as this one, so please hang on. And PLEASE REVIEW!**


End file.
